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rhiaarrow · 3 months

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I've seen ppl talking abt it on twitter and here and I wanted to sort of contribute my thoughts towards it,

Ppl aren't 'forgetting' about qTubbo's death. It's just that the situations of qBad and qTubbo's deaths, while they had the same outcome, were completely different for multiple factors.

(This isn't targeted at the ppl who think the death is being overlooked because that's their analysis and it's totally fair. It's just that people saying that got my analyst brain drawing comparisons between the deaths and I ended up with this big wall of text so...yeah :') )

1 - The build up (from outside POVs)

With qTubbo from most Povs he just sort of... died with no clear build up. Most ppl didn't see the true extent of his self spiralling because he hid it or they just simply didn't spend a lot of time with him in order to pick up on the stuff that we the viewers picked up on. And then all of a sudden he just died with no obvious lead up (unless you watch his pov in which case there was an obvious lead up) but from outsiders who barely saw him, it just happened.

Whereas

With qBad there was a more obvious build up on other Povs, he told the ppl he loved he was dying or at least they knew that something was wrong. They knew that his death was inevitable and as much as they hate to admit it a lot of them had already come to terms with the fact that he would be gone soon. (Again unless you watch his pov the whole build up from the past few months is less obvious but it was more developed with other players before his actual death) Most Povs at least recognised that there was something wrong with the blue spreading across his face because well...it was pretty fucking obvious

2 - The way they told people

qTubbos "I'm an egg, I only have one life left." while true sounds like a joke because well... he's obviously not actually an egg. Ppl joke abt stuff like that the whole time, the Eggboyhalo joke for example or calling Foolish 'egg coded' early in the server. How were all players meant to immediately go 'ah yes, this player is definitely an egg. Yesyes, this makes perfect sense'. It's easy to see how it wasn't taken seriously by a lot of characters when only a few of them were ever given an actual explanation besides "yeah I've only got one life"

Whereas

qBads "I'm fine, don't worry about me." while actively coughing up a lung, covered in blue infection and regularly having memory issues is an obvious lie. Even if people only saw him for a couple of minutes or even seconds it was pretty damn hard to ignore the blue spreading on his body. They'd ask what it was, he'd try to avoid it or redirect them and that person was hit with an immediate red flag of 'oh, so something is wrong with Bad.' which most shelved away and didn't actively investigate but it caused many characters to express being worried about him

3 - Outward visibility

qTubbo died due to his internal issues; self doubt, lack of self worth, suicidal tendencies, etc (I feel bad writing etc but I know there were other factors I just can't remember them) which resulted in him chosing to live using the life system and later chosing to gamble his last life in a game of Russian roulette with Richas.

(None of this being clearly outwardly visible to bystanders even if he wanted them to notice)

Whereas

qBad died due to external issues; parts of his soul physically leaking out of wounds on his body which caused his body to degenerate so far that even as an immortal he couldn't hold on and stop his corporeal body from just giving out on him and forcing him to reset.

(Which was very clearly outwardly visible despite how much he tried to hide it)

4 - The methods of their return

(Honestly I think this part is what's making ppl think that qTubbo's death is being 'ignored' compared to qBads)

With qTubbo, Creation told them that in order to 'restore' him they need smth that they CANNOT craft. Creation did not elaborate further, so they have very little to work with/very little they can actually do in order to try and help him. So most players while they have expressed they want to help, they know that if they do try to help they'll be running at brick walls because they just cannot obtain what is needed and they need to just wait for Creation to show up again.

Whereas

With qBad they know he'll be back (because he's a demon and that's just how they work) and they know what they have to do. They have to wait and be patient when he does return because he might not remember them and he'll probably need pictures to remember. He told them all of this before he died.

On one hand you have qTubbo: Wait for a prompt from Creation or an NPC to help them craft the item to get him back

On the other you have qBad: Wait for him to come back on his own terms

And for the people used to Bad providing a metaphorical example to prove his point in a clearer manner;

When playing a video game you have more hope when waiting for a loading wheel to stop spinning so you can play the level, than you do looking at a level blocked behind a currently unobtainable paywall :/

In other words, dwelling on things you don't know how to fix sucks ass and no one likes thinking about it until they have a tangible idea for a solution and right now only one of the two deaths has an even remotely tangible solution even if it is just to wait and do nothing.

(I understand that ppls reactions to qBads death have seemed more proactive than qTubbos right now but today was the first qBagi and Em learned of him actually dying so it makes sense that today was sort of centered around that. Tbh it just sucks that qTubbo died on an event day bc I feel like if he didn't we would've got a lot more focus and angst out of it but what can you do. But also it's seemed a lot more proactive because qBads kids are actively searching the server for him for 3-4 hours a day which is just depressing as hell, kudos to Pommin and Dapmin for pulling that off :') )

Wall of text over!

Have a flower for your troubles, after all our cubitos have done to us, I think we've earned some flowers without angsty connotations ;-;

❀❀❀❀❀

#qsmp #qsmp badboyhalo #qsmp tubbo #qsmp lore #qsmp analysis #tw death #cw death #these cubitos istg i just wanna squish them for how much angst they've created #also this isnt aimed at anyone just the posts i saw abt the death being ignored got me thinking abt their situations #how can 2 deaths be so different when they literally have the same end result of: they'll be back eventually #they're too addicted to perma die xD #but goddamn #tw suicide mention

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envy-of-the-apple · 3 months

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Hey ! Thinking about that maybe you could write a transmigrator reader ? Like reader knows everything of the plot and is the hope of their happy ending or can save "everyone", or maybe reader knows/understand them (it could be anyone) the most and they don't need to act or hide something around them so (Random) can be trully themselves... Technically reader is weak but too precious... and reader wants to go home but can't... ending up a tragic story for reader...

By the way I noticed something, Satoru represented very well the Sun :

"The Sun is alone but it still shines."

"If the Sun disappears, everyone will die."

"The more you are close to the Sun and the more you will be in danger, the more you are far away and the more you were discovered by other. Be like the Earth, not too far away nor too close tho."

"Everyone rely on the Sun but nobody is here for the Sun."

"The Sun is the most important in the Solar System."

"The Sun doesn't need allies but is still surrounded."

"If you want to approach the Sun, you could never because you will die before even touch the Sun."

ngl I hate the isekai trope so much because it has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. But ppl only write 'y/n gets Isekaid into (anime), but their only personality is quoting decade-old vines and misusing AAVE.' I want isekai but with spice.

I had this idea of making an isekai fanfic where the reader gets this McGuffin (given by dead grandma or whatever) that transports the reader to a different dimension- where cursed energy exists. Satoru is the only one who can see the reader (cuz six eyes) and reader becomes his guardian angel. The MC will appear anytime Satoru is in danger (either from another poisoning attempt or assassination attempt) and then will return to her own dimension. Slowly, Satoru develops this obsession with his guardian angel and tries to figure out a way to make his guardian angel stay with him forever. I've debated on writing it a couple of times but I doubt I will lol.

idk i just want interesting isekai. Oh! there was actually this amazing isekai with the AOT universe. Basically, the mc was transported into the aot universe but actually went through the trauma a soldier fighting titans would face. Eventually, she dies and is transported back to her own universe and she assumes everything was a horrible dream (even though she has ptsd from her time in that universe). Just when she starts getting herself back together, characters from the AOT universe start appearing in her own universe and its clear not all of them have forgiven her for something she did (that hasn’t been revealed yet) ughhh it was so good but the AUTHOR DELETED IT.

i think it was called cracks....if anyone has a copy pls pls pls lemme knowww it was so so good akslakskandsks

#yandere #yandere jjk #dark gojo satoru #dark jjk #Poly rants #srry this got so long #i just have so many thoughts about isekai

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nostalgebraist · 1 year

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@oakfern replied to your post “it's going to be fun to watch the realization...”:

i feel like this is going to play out very similarly to voice assistants. there was a huge boom in ASR research, the products got a lot of hype, and they actually sold decently (at least alexa did). but 10 years on, they've been a massive failure, costing way more than they ever made back. even if ppl do think chatbot search engines are exciting and cool, it's not going to bring in more users or sell more products, and in the end it will just be a financial loss

(Responding to this a week late)

I don't know much about the history of voice assistants. Are there any articles you recommend on the topic? Sounds interesting.

ETA: Iater, I found and read this article from Nov 2022, which reports that Alexa and co. still can't turn a profit after many years of trying.

But anyway, yeah... this is why I don't have a strong sense of how widespread/popular these "generative AI" products will be a year or two from now. Or even five years from now.

(Ten years from now? Maybe we can trust the verdict will be in at that point... but the tech landscape of 2033 is going to be so different from ours that the question "did 'generative AI' take off or not?" will no doubt sound quaint and irrelevant.)

Remember when self-driving cars were supposed to be right around the corner? Lots of people took this imminent self-driving future seriously.

And I looked at it, and thought "I don't get it, this problem seems way harder than people are giving it credit for. And these companies show no signs of having discovered some clever proprietary way forward." If people asked me about it, that's what I would say.

But even if I was sure that self-driving cars wouldn't arrive on schedule, that didn't give me much insight into the fate of "self-driving cars," the tech sector meme. It wasn't like there was some specific deadline, and when we crossed it everyone was going to look up and say "oh, I guess that didn't work, time to stop investing."

The influx of capital -- and everything downstream from it, the trusting news stories, the prominence of the "self-driving car future" in the public mind, the seriousness which it was talked about -- these things went on, heedless of anything except their own mysterious internal logic.

They went on until . . . what? The pandemic, probably? I actually still don't know.

Something definitely happened:

In 2018 analysts put the market value of Waymo LLC, then a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., at $175 billion. Its most recent funding round gave the company an estimated valuation of $30 billion, roughly the same as Cruise. Aurora Innovation Inc., a startup co-founded by Chris Urmson, Google’s former autonomous-vehicle chief, has lost more than 85% since last year [i.e. 2021] and is now worth less than $3 billion. This September a leaked memo from Urmson summed up Aurora’s cash-flow struggles and suggested it might have to sell out to a larger company. Many of the industry’s most promising efforts have met the same fate in recent years, including Drive.ai, Voyage, Zoox, and Uber’s self-driving division. “Long term, I think we will have autonomous vehicles that you and I can buy,” says Mike Ramsey, an analyst at market researcher Gartner Inc. “But we’re going to be old.”

Whatever killed the "self-driving car" meme, though, it wasn't some newly definitive article of proof that the underlying ideas were flawed. The ideas never made sense in the first place. The phenomenon was not really about the ideas making sense.

Some investors -- with enough capital, between them, to exert noticable distortionary effects on entire business sectors -- decided that "self-driving cars" were, like, A Thing now. And so they were, for a number of years. Huge numbers of people worked very hard trying to make "self-driving cars" into a viable product. They were paid very well to do. Talent was diverted away from other projects, en masse, into this effort. This went on as long as the investors felt like sustaining it, and they were in no danger of running out of money.

Often the "tech sector" feels less like a product of free-market incentives than it does like a massive, weird, and opaque public works product, orchestrated by eccentrics like Masayoshi Son, and ultimately organized according to the aesthetic proclivities and changing moods of its architects, not for the purpose of "doing business" in the conventional sense.

Gig economy delivery apps (Uber Eats, Doordash, etc.) have been ubiquitous for years, and have reported huge losses in every one of those years.

This entertaining post from 2020 about "pizza arbitrage" asks:

Which brings us to the question - what is the point of all this? These platforms are all losing money. Just think of all the meetings and lines of code and phone calls to make all of these nefarious things happen which just continue to bleed money. Why go through all this trouble?

Grubhub just lost $33 million on $360 million of revenue in Q1.

Doordash reportedly lost an insane $450 million off $900 million in revenue in 2019 (which does make me wonder if my dream of a decentralized network of pizza arbitrageurs does exist).

Uber Eats is Uber's "most profitable division” 😂😂. Uber Eats lost $461 million in Q4 2019 off of revenue of $734 million. Sometimes I need to write this out to remind myself. Uber Eats spent $1.2 billion to make $734 million. In one quarter.

And now, in February 2023?

DoorDash's total orders grew 27% to 467 million in the fourth quarter. That beat Wall Street’s forecast of 459 million, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Fourth quarter revenue jumped 40% to $1.82 billion, also ahead of analysts’ forecast of $1.77 billion.

But profits remain elusive for the 10-year-old company. DoorDash said its net loss widened to $640 million, or $1.65 per share, in the fourth quarter as it expanded into new categories and integrated Wolt into its operations.

Do their investors really believe these companies are going somewhere, and just taking their time to get there? Or is this more like a subsidy? The lost money (a predictable loss in the long term) merely the price paid for a desired good -- for an intoxicating exercise of godlike power, for the chance to reshape reality to one's whims on a large scale -- collapsing the usual boundary between self and outside, dream and reality? "The gig economy is A Thing, now," you say, and wave your hand -- and so it is.

Some people would pay a lot of money to be a god, I would think.

Anyway, "generative AI" is A Thing now. It wasn't A Thing a year ago, but now it is. How long will it remain one? The best I can say is: as long as the gods are feeling it.

#oakfern #ai tag

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comradekatara · 4 months

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Re: Zuko sexism and fandom: I think that a LOT of people are just genuinely unwilling to actually view Zuko's bad behaviour as actually consequential. He gets "forgiven" by the Gaang and he has a big dramatic duel and then he rules the Fire Nation so it's fine actually. If it wasn't fine he wouldn't have been forgiven, like Jet! They use the lens of end-of-series Zuko, influenced by how the Gaang forgives him, to then retroactively handwave away his earlier behaviour and view it as if end of series Zuko is just misguidedly doing those things, rather than it being an actual expression of what he believes in and his morality at that point in time. Part of it is an abundance of sympathy and projection because he's the most explicit (and arguably only explicit, because other child abuse victims are never injured or attempted-murdered that we know of, and that's the bar for many viewers. Neither are any other than Zuko positioned piteously or as victims of Serious Injustice.) child abuse victim in the show and we see so MUCH of his internal struggle. For like a whole book. There's also a consistent trend of viewing the Fire Nation as Yes, Actually, being better than the other societies, they just shouldn't have tried to spread it via war, so yes Zuko is ✨indoctrinated✨ but in a feminist galaxy brained way not a bad fascist way. So the colonialism would've been fine if people had just agreed with how great the Fire Nation is! Pretty much the entirety of Zuko's bad behaviour is handwaved away as "he's a good guy who had a bad life! We forgive him for all of it, he's trying!" And to a lot of viewers, it's also "he's also hot and I've had a crush on him since I was like 14!". He's genuinely a huge asshole to pretty much everyone around him like, almost 24/7, for the majority of the show. And he has his reasons but he's still caused a lot of harm, and that we see? he's basically only revised his views on violent colonialism, making his Anger other people's problem, and some parts of racism. He only ever addresses what he's done to the Gaang and Uncle to. Does he buy Song another ostrich horse? Does he give Kyoshi reparations? Did he ever find out if that farming family with the kid Lee were harmed for harbouring a FIRE NATION PRINCE? What did he do to apologise to the Southern Water Tribe? Whatever he did to apologise to and thank Mai, if anything, I can guarantee it wasn't enough. That's just his personal stuff, never mind his policy choices as the New Fiery Dictator. It's so boring and frustrating how much people gloss over his jagged edges, because without those edges his narrative and how he fits into the world and story just collapses completely.

you’re so right about all of this. I think his final scene with mai is especially emblematic of how his resolution is framed as “and they all lived happily ever after” even though I remember perfectly well how he treated that poor girl so I’m just yelling at her to run away the whole scene. although I will say that stealing song’s ostrich horse was probably his most justifiable crime just bc if I was a disfigured burn victim and someone tried to touch my face without asking I’d also consider committing petty theft against them. ngl. he still does owe her a new ostrich horse though. and of course framing his ascension as some grand victory is thematically/telelogically appropriate, but I highly doubt he would be like. good at firelording. but that’s for another post. ppl really like smoothing out his edges and treating him as if he’s beyond reproach when everyone only finds him so compelling in the first place because his flaws are so obvious, so they assume he’s more “complex” than the other characters (and also more relatable, but that’s for another post too). it’s actually kind of funny if you think about it. “he’s the best because he’s so noticeably flawed and therefore so complex but also I love him so he doesn’t have any flaws actually and is probably a feminist socialist who loves eating pussy and listening to women.” and this is also lowkey how ppl talk about sokka too but at least sokka does actually do those things, zuko doesn’t even pretend to😭 anyway. i keep saying today that you guys couldn’t handle revolutionary girl utena, but you guys REALLY couldn’t handle revolutionary girl utena…

#which reminds me that I still need to finish that sokka/nanami essay #estra-die-ol #asks #also ofc zuko and mai are both gay. but that’s beside the point #zuko #hot takes #mai #song #sorry I know she meant well but I hate that girl!!!!#she has smug nurse energy 2 me #like no u can’t touch some guy u just met learn some fucking BOUNDARIESS #anyway. he was still wrong for stealing her mode of transportation lmfao

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anticanonsposts · 4 months

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i love your writing so much! you’re literally my favorite blog!🩷 i know you write the könig loves plus size girls (thank you omg) and as a plus size girlie myself could you write something about him having a SO that is struggling with body image and just a little insecure? it could be whatever! thank you 🩷🩷

eeeeee thank you so much omg I'm really glad ppl like my account

And yes this is a hill that I will die and be buried on that he likes plus sized girls idgaf. That being said this post is in no way attempting to body shame any sort of body type!!! All bodies can be healthy and you need to eat enough and nourish yourself!! That being said, if I have to read one more fanfic about the reader having a stomach bulge during (nsfw) I might scream :D BUT no hate to anyone that writes that, we write what we want/like!!

Anyways here's a little one-shot about anon's scenario, completely sfw

cw: talks about body insecurities, self hatred a little bit, little angst

Taking another deep breath you tried again to smooth out the fabric of the dress you were trying on. A family member had a wedding coming up and you needed a dress for it. So, since you didn’t have too much money to spend you decided to go to Target. Also the fact that most stores in a mall wouldn’t have anything that fit you anyway.

Let’s just say the trip wasn’t going well. You picked out dress after dress, that you thought would be appropriate for the wedding and none of them were fitting how you wanted. They were all too tight in the wrong places and too loose in others. As well as the fact that the dressing rooms were stifling hot, the bright lights were overwhelming you, and lately you had been doubting yourself big time.

Patiently sitting outside the dressing room, your boyfriend König was diligently waiting. You had stopped showing him options after dress #3, your mood seemed to dampen after each dress. Eventually you decided that you would buy a dress on a different day. Nothing was fitting, nothing was feeling good, and you knew anything you’d buy would make you upset later.

All of your swirling thoughts of how you look, especially compared to most of the other people in the Target, compared to the mannequins, etc got too much for you and your eyes started to well up a bit. You were thankful that you two needed nothing else from Target, so you could promptly make your escape.

Exiting the dressing room, failed dresses in hand, you get König’s attention and place those stupid fucking dresses on the ‘didn’t work out’ rack.

“Ok, I’m ready to go, none of them worked out, do you need anything?” you turn and ask König, pointedly avoiding eye contact because you just needed to get out of there.

“N-No, I’m ready to go” he responds, definitely noticing a shift in your mood, but he didn’t wanna push it until you got to the car.

Once in the car, before he even has the chance to ask you if anything is wrong you start talking about anything you can get your mind on. Dinner plans, what he’ll wear to the wedding, what movie he wants to watch tonight.

When you guys get home and settled, you decide to start making dinner. You are unsuccessfully trying to push your insecure thoughts away and not let them fill your mind. It isn’t working. You want to just forget about it and enjoy your night with König but surprise surprise the plan of bottling your emotions wasn’t working.

Eventually you were broken out of your haze, feeling König walk up behind you. His hands snaking their way first along your hips then around your middle. His hands rest against your abdomen as he presses his lips against your neck. Then his hands give your stomach a slight squeeze in between his fingers. And that’s what does it.

A waterfall of tears start falling from your eyes and you shrug him off, taking a step back from the stove.

“Hey, hey, hey what’s going on?” König asks softly, turning you around to face him.

“It’s nothing” you dismiss immediately, leaning back on the countertop.

“Clearly it's something Liebe, please, talk to me” he responds, he was not gonna let you dismiss this.

You take another deep breath while he moves the pot that had been on the stove to a different burner, and switches the stove off. So that his full attention could be on you.

“I just feel shitty today I don’t know” you say, which just earns an eyebrow raise from him (god dammit he will get you to articulate your feelings). “You know I usually like how I look, but sometimes I still get insecure. And I don’t know, today while shopping seeing so many photos of thinner people, and then none of the dresses fitting right, I just-” you’re cut off by a deep breath in, trying to keep your crying under control. I just feel like you could be with someone who looks different, who’s thinner, who’s more in shape.” you finish now just blubbering at this point. All of the feelings you had tried to ignore all day exploding.

Shrinking a bit, you cover your face with your hands and start sobbing into them. You feel so ashamed and humiliated, you don’t even want to look him in the eyes.

König as you said all of this only felt his heart wrenching. How could you, someone who was so perfect and beautiful think that you aren’t good enough for him. Obviously you weren’t skinny but that's part of why he loved you so much. Had he done something to make you believe differently?

“Y/n please listen to me ok,” he finally says, honestly trying not to cry himself, gently lifting you onto the countertop behind you, so that he can stand between your legs, barely any space between you. “I. Love. Everything. About you. Please don’t doubt that. You are nearly my everything. And I want you to tell me when you feel this way ok? It's my job to support you, just like you are so kind to me.”

This of course just sends you into even higher hysterics, arms now draped around his shoulders, sobbing into his chest, he pulls you closer in return, rubbing his hands up and down your back.

He cradles your head with his left hand, giving your head kisses as you continue crying.

“Thank you König, I’m sorry I’m such a mess-” you start.

“Uh uh uh, no apologies. You’re ok.” he quickly interrupts you.

A few more minutes past, as you get all of your crying out, trying to slow down and regulate your breathing.

“Also…Liebling, do you think that I lift all that weight in the gym to only lift weight in the gym???”

Which earns a boisterous laugh from you, both of you pulling away from each other enough so that you are face to face. “Thank you König” you say, wiping away the last of your tears from your cheeks.

“I mean, y/n you’ve told me that you usually like physically bigger men, so is it so outlandish that I would feel the same way about women?” he continues earning a shy look from you.

“I guess…” you mumble back.

“Mmmhhmm.” he responds sarcastically, getting you to finally laugh before pulling your lips to his with a hand on your jaw.

“Now, should we finish up dinner and get that movie started?”

Getting a nod from you in return. You get off the counter and then finish making dinner and have a wonderful evening with your boyfriend.

#konig cod #konig x reader #konig mw2 #call of duty modern warfare #cod mw2 #konig imagine #konig blurb #konig ask #konig x y/n #konig x yn #konig x you #konig x plus sized reader #fluff #cute #relationship #love

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ssalballoon · 4 months

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i wanna get better at art but dont know how to start ^^' whats a good way to get into studying anatomy and improving as an artist? tysm 💗 love your art soso much

more art converts 😼 yay!!

i think these asks were sent by different people but they're pretty related + a lot of my advice is the same! so i'll answer these together under the cut (it's so long oh gosh)

ok first of all i'm very flattered that people are asking me for art advice but i'm really not the most equipped person to ask TTOTT I've never been deliberately studious with my art so I feel bad offering advice when I've mostly gotten by with just drawing fanart and ocs a lot... my rate of improvement has therefore been slow, but I've still had an enjoyable learning experience so perhaps from that angle my input may help! i'll mainly refer you to external resources that have helped me

For anatomy + drawing humans:

1) I know I'm not diligent enough to sit down and study muscles, so instead I make it more enjoyable by drawing my favorite characters in a pose that targets the muscles I want to practice! (i default to drawing ppl naked because of this lol) This isn't the most efficient, but it serves as good motivation to get practice in. (honestly a lot of my general art advice has the undercurrent of becoming so obsessed with characters to drive your motivation to draw even when artblocked/ struggling with doubts!)

2) I want to refer you to Sinix's Anatomy playlist! Although Sinix focuses more on digital painting, he gives simplified anatomy breakdowns that include how muscles change shape under different movements/poses, which is crucial for natural human posing. the static anatomy diagrams from Google don't really help for that

3) What's just as important as anatomy is gestures! (especially important if you're used to drawing non-human objects I think!) Making figures look like they have flow to them will sell the "naturalness"(?) to your anatomy. If you have in person life drawing sessions accessible near you I'd recommend trying those out, or if you prefer trying it digitally there's this website!

This helps you not only get a sense of human proportions, but also natural posing! I'd limit the time taken to draw the poses from like 10 seconds to 1 minute(?) for quick gestures, and maybe 1 minute to 5mins(for now!! typically they go much longer) to study human proportions. I'd say don't spend a lot of time on them, repetition is more important!

4) I've also picked up on useful anatomy tidbits from artists online! Looking at how practiced/ professional artists stylize a body helps me focus on what the essential details are to convey a particular form (looking up "human muscles" and being hit with anatomy diagrams full of all the smallest details can be overwhelming! what do you even focus on?! so these educated simplifications really help me) Like Emilio Dekure's work! Look how simplified these figures are, and yet contain all the essential information to convey the sense of accurate form (even though it's highly exaggerated!)

(shamefully admits I've never studied from actual anatomy books so I can't recommend anything in that sense TTOTT)

For general improvement:

1) I highly recommend Sinix's Design Theory playlist and Paintover Pals! (+ his channel in general) You don't have to put them immediately into practice, but I think these are good fundamental lessons to just listen to and have them in the back of your mind to revisit another day. Plus these videos are just fun and very approachable! Design theory fundamentals are essential to creating appeal and directing a viewer's attention, and critiquing others' work/ seeing his suggestions are a good way to practice noticing areas of improvement+ solutions yourself!

2) If you prefer a more formal teaching resource, the Drawabox YouTube course covers all the basic fundamentals of drawing in short lessons. But honestly if I were starting out, this would be a little intimidating for me (and even now it still is! I haven't done all of them) But even if you don't watch them, the titles should give you an idea of the basic concepts that are valuable to pick up. I think it would be nice to keep in mind and revisit once in a while as you learn!

(One lesson I do encourage you to watch is the line control one! A confident continuous line conveys motion and flow much better compared to discontinuous frayed lines which I think is good to practice early by drawing from the wrist and shoulder)

3) As a universal piece of advice: Please please please use references! Use a reference for literally everything, observing is how we learn! You'll find that a lot of things you thought you knew what they looked like are inaccurate by memory alone. Also, trace! This is solely for your practice, tracing then freehanding has helped me grasp proportions when I was struggling! (of course don't post these online if you traced from art)

I've found that being able to compile references into easy to access boards has been very helpful in encouraging me to use references more. For PC, I think they use PureRef (free/pay what you want), and for iPad I use VizRef. VizRef is a one time purchase (which was definitely worth the $3.99 USD price imo)

4) On that note, try building up the habit to observe from media + real life and make purposeful comments about what you see! Like hey, when I bend my knee, the muscles/fat in my thighs and calves bulge outwards, I should draw that next time. Purposeful observation carries over to your overall visual library, and it's a little thing that adds up over time

5) For motivation, get into media you really enjoy, or make your own characters! The way I started art more seriously was by drawing fanart + OCs from anime that I liked ^^ For OCs it really encourages you to draw more because you're the primary creator of their art! Also you gotta see a lot of good art to make good art! Watching visually appealing media (like animation with appealing stylization/simplification) can passively help you learn just by observation.

ok wow I could go on but this is already a lot of information TTOTT my main aim for this reply is basically: don't let anything discourage you from learning to draw!! drawing is so fun and brings me a lot of joy ^^ practicing often will of course help you improve, and the way to incentivize that is by having fun with it! i hope this could help!💞

#my asks #art resources #trying to be concise n failing #i'm mainly worried that like. my art tips make me sound more skilled than my art actually is

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bdsmrist · 11 months

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i know the game goes in detail about joyce’s pearly white teeth, but what about the other character’s teeth?

harry’s teeth would be surprisingly straight, but yellowed from the years of substance abuse. probably has worn down gums, too. still, i think it adds to his character. its like he has a golden smile, in a way. and funnily enough, altho hes been aware of his teeth’s condition throughout the years, that’s never stopped him from smiling. not just because of “the expression” necessarily, but because he loves giving that to ppl. loves letting them know his happiness is directed at them

kim’s teeth would be crowded. especially the bottom row. its unlikely he could afford dental care in his youth with being in the foster care system and all. and he’s probably a little insecure about it. but the few times he flashes you a smile, you can see the how one if his canines pushes the incisor in, and its the most charming thing ever; how his sharp tooth pokes out to say hello. god, i bet he has the warmest smile ever, even warmer than harry’s. it comes sparingly, and he avoids doing it, but when he does, its like god’s gift to you

jean’s teeth seem pretty normal at first glance. u dont get to see em much; he doesnt rly smile that often. nothin to smile abt in this world. however, when he *does* smile, u notice one of his premolars are missing (harry probably noticed it pretty quickly) but if u were to ask him how and why that is, its probably the most anticlimactic thing ever. not “i got my teeth knocked out on a mission once” but rather “i ate shit once middle school and thats that”

im pretty sure it’s canon that ruby has a gap tooth, which is hot and does get her bitches. but i think she just has small teeth in general, with the exception of her two front teeth. like the kind that in retrospect kinda look like shark teeth. its so cool. and also shes a side-smiler, a smirker, if you will. too powerful for this world.

idk man, i feel like teeth are often times an indicator of peoples socio-economical background that isnt talked about enough (hence, joyce’s teeth being something harry notes first hand). but i dont think we’re meant to have “perfect” teeth. teeth have stories, and hold records of our lives. and with how nuanced every single character of the disco-verse is, i dont doubt everyones smile says something unique about them.

#i swear im normal i just rly like teeth #i be staring #but im normal #disco elysium #de #disco elysium hc #hc #harry du bois #hdb #kim kitsuragi #harrykim #jean vicquemare #ruby disco elysium #ruby the instigator

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danothan · 1 year

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started reading robin 2021 and i wanted to take the time to appreciate two of the most beautiful spreads in issue #1. they captivated me with how gorgeous and momentous they felt, which must have been the point bc i ended up staring at them sm that the symbolism finally kicked in

SPREAD 1:

1) LOVE the red and green at play, it’s such a difficult color scheme to get right lest you end up making the whole piece feel like a christmas card, but gleb melnikov pulled it off. the environment is rich and elegant and well-contrasted; it rly brings out damian’s classic red/green robin combo, even tho he’s not actually wearing his robin suit here. the green of his clothing highlights the green of talia’s, as well as the assassin’s tattoos, and, when combined with the cool-toned background, makes the red just pop out at you. pretty palette aside, it’s a very calculated choice in colors.

2) speaking of red, melnikov rly wanted you to notice the blood in these two pages. from the emphasis of the words DEMON BLOOD to the reflection of damian in the blood puddle, it only draws attention to the fact that his blade is perfectly clean of it in the second panel. one can only assume that talia killed that guy so hard that damian’s sword was caught in the collateral (damn talia !). it frames damian as the one to land the killing blow, as though his doubts/restraint with killing mean nothing because he still has the blood on his hands, blood passed down from talia. that doesn’t necessarily make it true ofc, but it does give us a reflection of his mindset with the blood acting as a literal mirror.

now before we delve into the second spread, lemme preface this with some context: many characters will refer to damian as an actual bird (“what better way to take out a robin than with a hawke,” “i’ve fought little birds like you before,” etc.) which speaks to his reputation, but i think it’s most notable when coming from talia:

at first, it’s used condescendingly, as it usually is from most ppl, and she speaks in a possessive tone when she talks abt returning him to the nest. she even tells him that if he IS to be taken under her wing, she would not treat him as her son but as a weapon. however, we know that this contradicts her intentions as she later uses the same “baby bird” petname as a term of endearment, even to calling him her son—notably when he is out of earshot.

you get the sense that they have this unspoken code of conduct around each other—family dynamics tend to be rigid in that way—but there’s also this feeling of regret as well as unfamiliarity navigating it coming from talia. i mean, she said it herself: damian was just a baby bird. he flew out of the nest too early.*

*see read more

so why does she taunt him for running back to his mother? why is she pushing him away? and why does she monologue for so long that she lets her guard down and closes her eyes long enough for him to disappear…?

SPREAD 2:

BECAUSE DAMIAN IS JUMPING OUT OF THE HELICOPTER!!! BECAUSE TALIA IS PUSHING HIM OUT OF THE NEST !!!!

talia doubled down on her militaristic plans as an opening for damian to leave. with that sense of regret mentioned earlier, talia knows she raised damian under harsh conditions, but she doesn’t know to raise him differently either, so she urges him to find his own path. presenting “the way of the demon or the way of the bat” as the only 2 options to her already rebellious son was guaranteed sabotage. she pushed him too early when he was younger, but she knows that her baby bird is ready to fly now :”)

bonus: what a classic jason todd move to wear a mask underneath your mask btw. guess it just runs in the family! (but on a deeper, unironic level, damian switches out both his robin and his demon suit into this new one. this obviously symbolizes his forging a new path, but also reveals his intent/doubts abt the whole confrontation. a mask underneath his mask? he was never truly looking to rejoin the league. after running away from bruce, he runs to talia to test the waters and see if he would do better there. and when it ends in the same shadowing of an ambitious parent, he ditches the whole thing. the fact that he had a back-up plan meant that his heart wasn’t in it, just as talia’s heart wasn’t in keeping him caged. a confirmation bias given permission by a mother’s facade. god, the al ghul mindgames are truly smth to behold)

*so much can be said abt how talia’s approach to parenting parallels and contrasts bruce’s. they both have the same good intentions for their son, and they both realize that he’s too young to face what he had and what he’s abt to. but talia wants to start the healing process of her control in his upbringing, and bruce wants to prevent damian from having to face it alone knowing firsthand what suffering he “endured to become batman.” one is letting go, the other is desperate to bring him back.

it’s such a fascinating look into the push and pull of their fatal flaws and mistakes as parents, as well as making them feel human and reasonable within the limits of all they know and are capable of. OF COURSE they’re overcompensating for their regrets, that’s just so… them!

and the fact that you can see both parents’ traits and influence in damian as he searches for his own identity just makes the whole family feel well-rounded. robin 2021 is so good you guys, it’s too fucking good

#damian wayne #damian al ghul #talia al ghul #bruce wayne #batman #dc #robin #robin 2021 #panels #meta #danbles #long post #alt text #described #no spoilers please i only just finished issue 2 🫶#god i can’t wait to get to talia and damian’s reunion that shit looked tense

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sarcastic--metaphor · 8 months

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Speaking of vampire au, how did Simon’s relationship with the vampire court go before they all passed?

I imagine heirophant looked down on Simon for taking in and raising human kids as much as he could. Might probably be disappointed that Simon’s just an antiquarian and not someone who holds traditions to similar values as the heirophant.

Empress might see Simon as cute, but as low on the ladder as the fool all because Simon refuses to eat the fine delicacy that’s living human blood. I can’t help but remember the stakes episode where the empress said Simon had a “silver fox thing going, with his white hair and glasses.”

Moons just either silent with Simon, and maybe toyed with the dude on whether or not she ate some of the human kids he tried to save.

The fool…he probably makes pranks on Simon and thinks he and the old man are friends.

You don’t know how thrilled I am that ppl wanna talk about my AU thabk u

I haven’t really thought about the rest of the court but it makes sense! I think by virtue of abstaining from human blood as much as possible, Simon rendered himself a pariah among the king’s court. Really, he was only kept around to tutor Marceline until she turned 18 and could be reborn as the Star. (Won’t spill all the deets but there’s reasons he was kept around afterwards and they relate to the King)

However, I like the idea of Simon studying those around him and noticing things that others don’t. Like how no one takes the Fool seriously because he’s, well, the Fool. So he’s actually the perfect confidant for Simon to spill all his fears and heartache onto. It doesn’t matter if the Fool makes a fart joke immediately after, Simon knows that even if the Fool were to reveal his distaste for vampiric customs to others, no one would believe him or care.

I’m willing to also bet that every member of the court has ended one of Simon’s wards at one point or another. Childhood is kinda a foreign concept to vampires who were turned as adults and no longer reproduce like humans. To them, Simon is essentially raising chickens or cattle

He’s also probably the 2nd most scared of the Moon. First place going to the king of course

However, the person who’s killed the most of Simon’s wards is without a doubt The Star. She hates the children he adopts bc they always take away time and attention he could be spending on her. She also sees how affectionate he is with them, in ways he no longer is with her (combing their hair, wiping their faces clean, reading to them at night, etc). She misses him but struggles to express herself through means aside from cruelty anymore.

She would never intentionally hurt Simon himself, though. Only the pests that threaten their bond.

#simon petrikov #vampire au #the vampire king #Marceline

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sandraharissa · 9 months

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So a normal average person engaging with arcane and seeing the conflict pertaining Jinx as ‘monstrous’ vs ‘healthy’ sees the situation in like, the normal way these things really work but I don’t think this outlook should be projected onto the characters.

This meta is motivated by me remembering how ppl would often frame the conflict between Vi and Silco as ‘Vi wants Jinx to be healthy and Silco wants her to be monstrous’ and honestly idk why I didn’t write this earlier, I guess I didn’t care cos there were a lot of bad takes flying around back then but I wanna talk about it now.

My thesis is that both Silco and Vi want Jinx to change in some ways and the simple way of saying it is ‘come out Powder’/’Powder must die’ but I’d argue another way of describing the conflict is seeing Jinx’s mental issues and not seeing them, but in opposite ways ig.

It’s a bizarre take to say Silco doesn’t see or understand Jinx’s issues or that he doesn’t want to solve them. The shared trauma is literally the basis for their bond and overcoming trauma is literally at the core of Silco’s ideology. Silco is the character who’s shown to be the most aware of Jinx’s issues and who helps her the most. He in his lair surrounded himself in water and Jinx in her lair surrounds herself with memorabilia of her family, both things that would trigger them but this environment shows that they exposure therapy-ed their way through it. Jinx gets a PTSD flashback from tinkering with the arcane and she goes to Silco for comfort and he takes her to where he suffered his trauma and literally gives her a pep talk about becoming a stronger person and it works! and Jinx goes back to tinkering with the arcane unafraid, and of course the finale where he seems aware that Jinx is in distress while Vi isn’t. Then there’s other things like how she helps him take shimmer or her space in the rafters, both things that would convey that she is needed and trusted, so things that would appease her insecurities and abandonment issues. These are small things but they convey that Silco is aware of Jinx’s issues and models their relationship and environment in order to adjust it to her needs. So basically Silco wants Jinx to be monstrous AND healthier cos he perceives these as the same thing. Based on his dialogue being a monster = being stronger = being a new person = not being the old, weak and afraid person = overcoming your traumatic past.

Conversely Vi has a lot of throwaway lines like ‘and I thought Powder could get obsessed’ and also just from her behavior in act 1, even tho we can already tell smth is wrong with Powder Vi seems oblivious to it, or she underestimates how bad it is. She gives her advice but it seems like general advice one would give to any younger sibling. Powder has a violent panic attack (? or maybe meltdown?) and it seems Vi didn’t anticipate it, she never sees it happen and then after the fact she never learns it even happened. When they’re little we the audience take notice of how Powder has no reaction to their parents’ corpses but Vi doesn’t. We the audience see her excitedly waiting for her bomb to pepper a teenager with nails but Vi doesn’t. And so Vi has these memories of Powder as being just a normal little girl and that there was nothing wrong about her, and seeing Jinx of course she initially assumes Jinx faked loyalty in order to survive only to switch to believing Silco got her brainwashed and mind-controlled so bad that she has to physically remove Jinx from his presence/influence to get through to her, the REAL her. She essentially wrongly assumes Powder used to be ‘normal’ and works off of that false assumption, and imo that’s a huge part of the sisters’ misunderstanding. She sees Jinx enjoy violence but I highly doubt Vi sees this and like the audience thinks of possible diagnosis, I think what she thinks/notices is that her sister acts immorally, so it’s less about her health and more about morals, ‘this is bad cos my sister’s kinda a bad person now, Silco corrupted her’. The tricky thing here are the hallucinations, several times Jinx speaks to no one and Vi has no reaction whatsoever to this and so it’s hard to judge why that is but my thinking is that she’s just too stressed out and overwhelmed in these situations to address this. Cos it’s not like Vi ever has a line like ‘I need to take Powder away from Silco cos he treats her so badly she has hallucinations now’ so like I said, no reaction to the hallucinations in the moment and then later she never has any thoughts about them like she didn’t even notice. And then we’ve got the finale where she triggers Jinx and doesn’t even know it.

But obvs it’s not a one person is completely wrong and another is completely right situation.

Silco’s understanding of Powder’s mental health issues and his own experience make him think that Jinx’s ‘monstrous’ aspects are good actually, the exact same way he thinks about himself, he in his mind likely equates them, the cruelty, the lack of empathy, the power-seeking to a sense of independence, protection from further trauma, protection from panic attacks etc. so he completely lacks understanding of Jinx’s issues (that maybe aren’t directly a matter of mental illnesses depending on whether you interpret Jinx to have APD but influence her mental state negatively anyway).

Meanwhile Vi has no understanding of all of the mental health issues Powder suffered from however that also makes it extremely clear to her when she comes back that there’s smth wrong with her sister. So even tho she never talks about ‘Powder getting better’, so again from Vi’s pov it’s not about mental health, she has great understanding that Jinx’s current issues are issues that need solving.

So de facto the whole ‘retrieving Powder’ vs ‘letting Powder die’ boils down to removing the part of Jinx/Powder that’s bad for her and based on the characters’ different perspectives on Jinx they want her to either move on from the trauma that was being Powder or erase the corruption of the Jinx persona.

Obvs both are wrong <3, Vi idealizes the image of Powder, her sister, and Silco idealizes the image of Jinx, his daughter, and right now they’re in competition over her and they’re not about to lose lol.

#jinx #silco #vi #arcane #team jinx #my:arcane

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bedlamsbard · 6 months

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I rotate my hyperfixations like seasons and it's Steve Time so is there a thing in home that you expected more ppl to notice and have been waiting to talk about?

Nobody in the SSR believes Steve.

It's not that most people still believe he's lying to them, either maliciously or because he was brainwashed, but the frozen in ice/time travel story is so wild that no one can actually get their heads around it. Even Howard doesn't believe him subconsciously, back in his lizard hindbrain and his gut, as much as he believes him otherwise.

Everyone knows that something really awful happened to Steve, but the thing is -- it's the worst war in human history, all of the Howling Commandos were POWs in a Hydra slave labor camp, there are atrocities being committed on a daily basis, the SSR and the 107th have been on the front lines of the Western Front of the European theatre for years now and the Howlies often operated behind enemy lines. "Something really awful" is not exactly exceptional in any way, and from their perspective Steve was only missing for a month. He's different from how he was the last time they saw him, but not in any way that can only be explained away by "he was frozen in ice for sixty-seen years and then got slapped back in time by an alien." Subconsciously it's very explicable with "his best friend died in front of him, less than a week later he deliberately crashed a plane laden with bombs while thinking he was going to die, and then he made his way back to Allied territory through occupied Europe. met a girl along the way and married her on pretty short notice."

And the thing is...that happened all the time in WWII. Literally all the time! All parts of it! There's nothing weird about it; everyone in the SSR probably knows a couple of people who experienced most or all of that, if not experienced parts of it themselves, and consciously or subconsciously making that assumption about Captain America is extremely believable and even relatable. There's a reason it's the cover story for Steve's return.

The problem is, of course, that that's not what actually happened to Steve.

Back up in the twenty-first century, no one who's actually met Steve thinks he's lying about what happened to him (though it's a feature in various conspiracy theories), but that's because by 2012 everyone had had sixty-seven years to get used to the idea of Tragically Lost Captain America. Especially back in 2012, you met Steve and you knew that something was just ever so slightly off about him, because he just didn't have the body language or other cues that someone born in 1984 rather than 1918 would have. (In MCU canon Steve and Natasha are the same age with a five month difference once you subtract the icebox years, if you go with a 2012 defrosting date.) In 1945 he has 2018 body language, mostly, but otherwise he hasn't visibly changed. He doesn't look six years older and the body language and other cues can be explained away with "his best friend died, he crash-landed an airplane, and he had to make his way back through occupied territory." Because, again, this happened all the time.

It's a point of extreme stress for Steve that no one in the SSR -- including Peggy, the Howlies, Howard, and Phillips -- believes him. Steve is not the kind of person people often disbelieve, and he's really not used to being disbelieved by these specific people. Going into the ice and waking up sixty-seven years later is the single defining experience of Steve's life, and having most of the people he loves more than anything else in the world not believe him is absolutely awful for him. It's almost worse that they're not doubting him openly anymore, but he can tell that they don't really believe him. As he tells Natasha in Chapter 7, "You can know something and not believe it." The people in the SSR who are in on the secret might know it -- but not one of them really, down in their guts, believes it.

(Peggy actually does think he's lying, but she can't figure out about what or if it's malicious or brainwashing. That's also extremely stressful for Steve, because it's Peggy. And the thing is -- he is lying! There are actually a host of things he's either lying about or concealing and two of them are very, very personal both to him and to the SSR. So that doesn't help either.)

#sorry for the delayed response! I had a rough couple of days #snowberriesromanoff #bedlam replies #iw time travel concept #home behind the scenes

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shorimochi · 2 years

Text

Baby A Yuan's Secret Plan to Save the World

In another alternate universe, out of curiosity Shen Yuan read one of PIDW fanfics shared in the forum, before he posted another scathing remark about the latest chapter. The fanfic went deep into Shen Jiu's backstory, and focused on his regrets for not being able to save Liu Qingge, his secret lover.

Shen Yuan was so mesmerized by the writing - that he didn't notice the expiry date on his yogurt. His transmigration journey went wrong, and now he was reborn as a small child into the PIDW world before Luo Binghe's arrival to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect.

Good. That meant he still had time before the destruction of the world would occur. Time for some pre-damage control. Shen Yuan left the temple he was raised in, hitching a ride from a kind ox-cart rider all the way to Tian Gong Mountains (while also enjoying the wonderful view of a completely different world).

Gaining entrance surprisingly wasn’t hard. Though, Shen Yuan supposed his looks - specifically, his eerie resemblance to Shen Qingqiu gave him the advantage. From the moment the stair sweeper kept looking at him up and down, Shen Yuan knew he held the trump card. He didn’t even need to make any special request - the disciples in charge of guarding the entrance immediately brought him to the meeting hall, where all the peak lords were waiting.

Upon spotting his prey - er, target, Shen Yuan grinned. Grinning, he yelled, "Mama!"

Needless to say, it caused an uproar among the peak lords. Since when did Shen Qingqiu sire a child? Also, 'mama'??

Shen Yuan ran and shamelessly hugged Shen Jiu's thighs. "Mama, found you!"

Shen Qingqiu was just rendered speechless. He looked at the child, who no doubt bore a striking resemblance to his appearance. However, that was impossible. Shen Qingqiu had never slept with anyone, how could he possibly have a child?

Yue Qingyuan knelt closer to the child and gently asked, "Where do you come from, little one?"

"I got lost while playing, and a big blue flower brought me here," Shen Yuan replied.

"Big blue flower...the Lotus of Mirror?" Shang Qinghua gasped. "Which means...this is Shen Shixiong's child from the future!"

All according to keikaku, Shen Yuan secretly grinned.

All of them stared at Shen Jiu, who was lost in thoughts. How could this ever be possible? Who would...

Who would ever want to start a family with him?

Qi Qingqi frowned. "But if he's calling Shen Qingqiu mama ...who's the father?” She questioned.

Shen Yuan's eyes darted at all the candidates in the room. He pointed at Liu Qingge. "There you are, papa! You're frowning so much, A Yuan almost didn't recognize you!"

There was momentary silence, before Liu Qingge choked, Yue Qingyuan fainted, and Shang Qinghua screamed.

Of all ppl, how could it be Liu Qingge?? Shen Qingqiu's mortal enemy??

Shen Qingqiu stared at his son (?) in disbelief. In the first place, him having a son was already a shock, but for the father to be Liu Qingge? "Are you sure you aren't mistaken? Me and Liu Shidi..."

"-are super lovey dovey!" Shen Yuan continued. Heck, who better to protect Shen Qingqiu than the war god himself? If the fanfic he read before his death proved anything, it was that Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu surprisingly made a fantastic pair, when their past conflicts were resolved. A war god and a brilliant strategist made such a moe couple!

“Ehem, why don't we investigate this matter first, before anything?" MQF suggested. "Shen Shixiong, would you let me examine the child?"

Shen Yuan panicked. He couldn't let anyone discover he wasn't really Shen Jiu's son. He clung to Shen Jiu. "Mama, are you going to let them take me away....?"

Something inside Shen Qingqiu was triggered and he hugged Shen Yuan back. "My son will come with me."

Shen Yuan glanced at Liu Qingge. "Papa too?"

Liu Qingge remained awkwardly silent.

Fine. It was embarrassing but a man could do anything in survival mode. Shen Yuan’s lips quivered and he looked at Liu Qingge with the most pitiful eyes. "Papa, you're not coming? Has A Yuan been bad? Are you angry?"

Liu Qingge; “!!”

Shen Qingqiu glared at Liu Qingge. "You're coming, right, shidi?"

After much deliberation, Liu Qingge nodded and picked up Shen Yuan, carrying him over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

Shen Qingqiu gawked and immediately tried to pry Shen Yuan off Liu Qingge. "What are you doing?!"

"What, this is how you carry a kid, right?"

"Put our child down right now, you brute!" Shen Qingqiu scowled and puffed his cheeks. "You cannot be trusted around a child."

"Me? You're the one whoー" Liu Qingge paused. He couldn't say in front of a child that Shen Qingqiu went to brothels, right? Especially not their future son. "ーWho met other women."

But Shen Yuan knew what Liu Qingge meant to say. He giggled. "Is Papa jealous?"

Seeing Liu Qingge's flustered expression, Shen Yuan continued. "Papa no worry, Mama only has Papa and A Yuan. Aunties are friends."

Or so he hoped. According to the book, Shen Qingqiu was supposedly a lecher, but… then again, when Shen Yuan thought about it, during the trial none of the women from Warm Red Pavillion came to testify against Shen Qingqiu, even though Luo Binghe could have used them to prove his point about Shen Qingqiu being an insatiable pervert.

Shen Qingqiu remained silent the entire trip back to Qing Jing Peak. Shen Yuan clung to Shen Qingqiu's back, he was not going to let the Bai Zhan Peak Lord carry him like a rice sack again!

***

Once night fell and Shen Yuan fell asleep, Liu Qingge finally went back to his own peak. However, the next day he showed up at Shen Qingqiu's front door again.

"I still find everything hard to believe, but..." Liu Qingge paused. His face flushed. "Please let me be a proper father to your son."

Shen Qingqiu snorted. "The way you carried A Yuan alone yesterday already failed you." Deciding to mock Liu Qingge as well, he added, "If you aim to be a good father, shouldn't you also try to be a proper husband, then, Liu Shidi?"

Because regardless of the circumstances, it was still ridiculous. No way Liu Qingge wanted him as a partner.

Liu Qingge clenched his fists. “How do I do that?"

Shen Qingqiu almost thought his ears were fooling him. "What?"

But Liu Qingge's face was red - not from anger. He was blushing from embarrassment. "What would you like your husband to do?"

Shen Qingqiu fell silent. Inside, he was panicking. This wasn't the response he expected.

"Well, for a start…” Shen Qingqiu paused. “Treat me well."

“I will do that,” Liu Qingge promised.

Shen Qingqiu pondered for a moment. “A Yuan doesn't have a proper outfit. The disciples' uniforms are too big for him," he added, remembering how the outfits were almost swallowing the little boy.

Liu Qingge nodded. Just as he was about to pick up Shen Yuan, Shen Qingqiu stopped him.

"Don't carry him the way you did!"

Albeit awkward, Liu Qingge managed to have Shen Yuan settled in his arms. They left for the market. Shen Qingqiu could tell this was Liu Qingge's first time going out to shop like this. Being a young master who only cared about fighting before, it must be a new experience for him as well.

A Yuan however looked excited. "Mama, dragon candy!"

Shen Qingqiu lightly pinched Shen Yuan's chubby cheek. "Too sugary."

Shen Yuan pouted and lifted one finger. “Just one, please mama?"

"Just one, then," Shen Qingqiunodded. He glanced at Liu Qingge. "Well, what are you waiting for? Pay up."

Liu Qingge handed his money bag. He couldn't believe he almost got distracted by just.... a smile.

Who knew Shen Qingqiu could have that kind of soft smile?

***

Shen Yuan's plan of getting the two 'enemies' together seemed to be working. Albeit awkward, he could tell Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu were both trying their best to get along well. Several days passed since he came to Cang Qiong Mountain and he could already see Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu’s relationship improving. They weren’t bantering as frequently and aggressively as they did, and even looked closer.

They helped put him to bed together, accompanied him during meals, and Liu Qingge even volunteered to play with Shen Yuan. Even though Liu Qingge’s definition of playtime was definitely far from Shen Yuan’s own, and Shen Qingqiu had screamed at the Bai Zhan Peak Lord multiple times to not let ‘their son’ get injured.

Now came the time for the next step in his plan >:3

“Mama, papa, let's all sleep together in one bed? A Yuan hates being alone..."

Shen Qingqiu froze. He was just getting ready to put Shen Yuan to bed and to bid Liu Qingge goodbye. Shen Yuan behaved very well most of the times throughout his stay there and rarely ever made any difficult request, but now… he and Liu Qingge together? In a bed? Even if there's A Yuan with them...

But they would be together in the future right? He glanced at Liu Qingge.

Liu Qingge's face meanwhile had gone completely crimson. "I-improper! We aren't married.... yet."

Shen Yuan made a pitiful face. "No?"

Liu Qingge turned still. He looked dazed, before he turned to Shen Qingqiu. "Shen...Shixiong. If you'd-"

Hell no, Shen Qingqiu thought. Liu Qingge must truly be mindless. He can't just propose marriage to Shen Qingqiu, then retract it, when everything is done or he gets tired of Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu had to make it clear. "Liu Shidi. If we're sharing a bed tonight, we're sharing it forever."

That ought to make him understand. Maybe Shen Qingqiu made the mistake of playing along.

But they shouldn't continue this charade anymore. Perhaps in another timeline, things didn't start off bad between them. But here...

Liu Qingge took a deep breath. After a long thought, he nodded. "Let's perform our bows first, then. I will ask my mother to help plan the wedding."

Shen Qingqiu gawked. Why did Liu Qingge always go against his expectations? "You DON'T want to marry me."

"I just said I will-"

"You hate me."

"I don't. Do you?"

Shen Qingqiu was taken aback by the answer. "We always fight."

"You always come back to challenge me," Liu Qingge pointed. He liked it. Shen Qingqiu might fight 'dirty' but he always came back with new skills and strategies. Nobody ever did. Which now just made Liu Qingge realize how Shen Qingqiu actually trained hard.

Perhaps it was why he couldn't stop thinking about Shen Qingqiu. Couldn't stop anticipating Shen Qingqiu's challenge. Kept telling himself that Shen Qingqiu was a dishonorable man and assuming the worst because he-

Oh. Oh.

He had always liked his shixiong.

I'm an idiot, Liu Qingge thought, blushing furiously. He, an idiot, who couldn't acknowledge his own feelings and tried to deter Shen Qingqiu from himself. But that would have to change.

"You'll regret it," Shen Qingqiu said. "This child could be uttering nonsense or mistook you as his father."

Liu Qingge's gaze softened, seeing how Shen Qingqiu held Shen Yuan tightly against his chest. His words were always harsh but his actions always differed. After spending a lot more time with Shen Qingqiu, he realized that even though the latter always put up a cold and aloof front, inside he was rather gentle and affectionate to the ones he truly cherished.

"If it's you, then I'd still like to be his father."

Shen Qingqiu's face flushed at the implication. "I-idiot, don't think I'll agree so easily..."

They slept together that night. In one big bed, Shen Yuan in the middle.

***

Never in his life, did Shen Qingqiu think he'd ever be able to sleep with another man. But Shen Yuan being there helped, and Liu Qingge looked so funny when he was so immersed in Shen Qingqiu's bedtime story for Shen Yuan too.

Maybe they could try it again. And again.

(Mdm Liu sent betrothal gifts the following day.)

Amidst everything, Shen Yuan was thrilled. He didn't think his plan to bring the two together would actually work! In fact, it worked way too well. Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu went from being nemesis/rivals, to awkward new lovers, to a shameless couple. Shen Yuan wasn't a pup, he didn't need this much dog food.

Few years passed and Luo Binghe finally came to the entrance test. Sure enough, Shen Qingqiu didn't do anything to trigger the future protag's blackening story.

In fact he barely noticed Luo Binghe, with his eyes almost constantly glued to his husband. Well, anything for mamajiu, he supposed.

#svss #shen jiu #liu qingge #liujiu #baby shen yuan #accidental baby acquisition

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hamable · 7 months

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Been thinking about BELLE and how my balance of personal enjoyment and film critique has been developing lately as a whole.

Belle is not a perfect movie, whatever that means. But I adore it. It’s phenomenal to me.

Why? Because while there may be hiccups in an awkward line of dialogue, or an oddly played plot beat, the emotional core of it’s story is so profoundly resonant and it’s story elements- characters, setting, music, all that- are successfully used to create that emotional core. A line of dialogue can fall flat, but I won’t care, bc I’ll be so wrapped up in the scene and the empathy it’s characters have earned from me and I’ll say I can forget that odd bit bc !!! Look at this!!!

It’s sort of like suspension of disbelief. If I’m absorbed in a scene, small hiccups or weird pacing or what have you will get the benefit of the doubt from me to the extent that I am still absorbed within the scene. Obviously if it’s obtrusive and pulls me out of it, that’s a critique I consider more constructively.

But with, for example, Belle, I find that a lot of what people have critiqued in it’s pacing and narrative aren’t even issues for me. In fact a lot of it makes perfect sense to me, especially after multiple viewings.

Also. Like. I find Shinobu hilarious bc he just says shit. And a lot of ppl are like yeah he doesn’t make sense. How does he just know she’s belle? And then suddenly everyone knew she was belle the whole time? He just says stuff cryptically, no emotion. And then in the last scene Suzu is like hey I’m finally happier and moving on from my grief and he’s like *big stretch, cracks back* Thank FUCK girly that was exhausting glad we can just chill like normal friends again. LIKE WHAT. And I fucking love it. That’s Part Of The Movie For Me. And I can get all literary about it like oh since Suzu is the protagonist we follow, these sudden drops are representative of how little she’s been paying attention to her impact on the ppl around her, she didn’t notice anyone noticing so why would we yadda yadda. But I also just accept that he’s. Just Like That.

Anyways Belle=good, and working on a writing degree has made balancing enjoyment with critique of media less stressful and more interesting (tldr I like it, idc about how it’s not technically the most perfect movie ever, sUCK MY DI

#belle movie #belle 2021 #belle anime #belle

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writingakanatorior101 · 2 months

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Summary: An obsession with a mobster is something you have in common with police but said mobster being your boss is not. What does Alfie do when he finds out about your obsession.

Warning: Eating out, extreme sexual tension, alfoe patronising ppl

MDNI

He wasn't society's picture of attractive that was for sure with a beard and dark, unkept hair placed under a hat. The way he talked did nothing to help him everyone thought he was mad as hell.

Everyone, including you. But to you, he was hilarious, charming, and even in a way handsome. He was also your boss, well you were just a maid. The obsession was one-sided, really. Doing whatever you could to make your way to his office or near the door outside his meetings. You didn't care for his topics just his voice deep and unsettling it was to anyone who crossed him. But harmony when you were within earshot.

Or maybe it was the way you were so close to the smell of rum and brimstone. He was like the essence of chaos it was like some weird high. You knew everything about him being so close to him. He knows nothing about you. Just some maid in his household.

It was a few months back in a meeting when his eyes fell on you or any attention really pivoted you at all. All the servants were standing around the kitchen he stood in the middle of all of it. Addressing all of us. "Right so stuff is going missing around the fucking house, how is that." His breath is heavy and the silence is enough to scare most of the people in the room. "See the problem is that I think we're all being fucking spied on like like some fucking sheep and wolves. The problem is I wanna know who's doing the spying 'cause it's obviously someone on the inside." His voice raises by the end of the sentence.

But it wasn't that, that was scaring you it was the giggle that came from your mouth when the room was in complete silence while he was in the middle rage shouting for the "meeting". Everyone turned to you before he did. "Ahh yes the maid, is something funny to you." Within seconds he was in front of you he now seemed much bigger than ever. Towering over you.

A giggle erupted again not that it was one of laughter and nervousness. Truth be told you had no idea what was going on or why you were laughing this was all just hilarious. Maybe you had gone mad working for him in these short months or maybe it was just a reaction you had in his presence.

"It's nothing sir please contuinue." You were proud of yourself your voice didn't shake when you talked to him for the first time didn't seem scared at all. "Well, I'm glad this is funny to you." He turns away back to his speech. He turned back to his speech almost as if no one noticed. There's one thing you did notice though the heat pounding at your core the wetness deep between your thighs. You thought for a second he could see that wetness. That would explain the look on his face it wasn't a look of anger but one of satisfaction.

The meeting was released everyone exiting and so were you or so you thought. A voice starts from the back of the kitchen. Causing a deep ache of nervousness in your stomach. "Oi stay here yeah." You turn to meet his eyes they are gleaming like he spotted an opportunity. "Yes, Mr.Solomons what is it."

"Now" he started "I have been seeing you around for a few months, walking and cleaning around me house yeah. You always got a light in your hands sometimes a book hanging out in a corner watching me with those eyes." He moves closer, closer than when he was in the meeting he is nearly on top of you. To where you meet the cold tile wall of the kitchen. The rain outside takes over so loud it shrouds any words coming from the kitchen. No doubt the servaunts would gossip about this if they heard. He moves an arm to the left to trap you "I had people dig into your background to see if maybe you were associated with someone or anything on par with our enemies. I can't find anything as far as I'm concerned you are a normal civilian. From a small village with a small family and the only language you speak is English."

You look up to meet his eyes there a picture,they get a deeper blue when he is enticed with something. "I'm sorry I bored you, sir, that I'm not here spying on you, maybe I just like to watch you you're pretty entertaining."

His hand meets your hip to keep you in place he applies pressure to it. A little moan escapes. A hot blush overtakes your face "I'm sorry sir."

"No you're not, see I have had meetings in my personal office where I ask about you, think about you keep files and tabs on you."

"So small you seem wandering around the office never talked to me once". You can feel him bunching the dress up higher. The. wetness taking over and your mind getting foggy. You wrap your arms around him to keep steady. "Could you even tell I was watching you?" His voice was deeper now it wasn't angry but dominant. You have no response to his questions just a feeling of not wanting to let go of him. Alfie grabs you by your legs lifting you onto him. Now you really feel it the stifness the length. One very very prominent vain not to mention the curve. "Do you see what you do to me, every goddam night this happens because of you."

Finally, something erupts from your mouth that isn't a moan "What do you want me to do about it, sir?" You hug yourself to him now nearly completely off the wall and suffocate him with your boobs. The grip only gets harder so he can have more control. "No, no" he breathes "not like this. I have been on about for months sweetheart." You feel your feet hit the ground. "Sir, please don't leave me like thi-"

He couldn't leave you like this it would simply starve him. The months he dreamed about you, nights in his bed with his hand gripping himself thinking about how your thighs would feel holding onto him, how you tasted if you could take him and walk the next day. But most of your whimpers

Love sit down for me".Alfie still felt tall but there's only one thing you feel. That's the absence between your legs the lack of him or his member. No the only thing you could feel now was the table you were sitting on. Wrapping your arm around the crook of his neck and letting your other hand meet his hip. "Don't go please Mr.Solomons, is you leaving some cruel punishment?" There was a silent pause of him just looking at you. You were too undone for this, that stare could have commanded your soul. It was at that moment that Alfie grabbed your legs and pulled you to the end of the table. You were barely on it now. "There is no need to beg sweetheart I'm not going anywhere." It was now that you felt like you might burst from the sight. He was on his knees with his hands positioned on your ass holding you to him. All the weight from you sat on him you were inches above the table.

You couldn't see Alfie's eyes yet but you're sure they look stunning. Reaching down to caress his hair you feel it. Warmth and the wetness of his tongue. Like an inviting tsunami. His tongue moved in circles just the right way. His nose the way it was swiping your clit and feeling it move up and down was sinful or the way Alfie would say it. Fucking biblical. There it was the thing that sent you over the edge, his fingers long calloused, and thick. Curling inside of you perfectly. His tongue is rougher now less forgiving. The man was tongue fucking you like you gave him air. You could feel everything in and out of his tongue and beard. God his beard fucking beard, it felt cushioned so nicely between you. Alfie's face was going further and further, eventually, you were leaning back on the table again. The maids and rest of the servants could for sure hear now. Your moans were unmanageable and gripping the table was no longer sufficing to hold back the orgasm. Your thighs were shaking Alfie knew you were close.

"Please Mr.Solomons I'm going to be loud, I- I can't help it." Without even so much as a glance or stopping you could hear him breathe against your clit "No said you needed to be quiet love, why I hope you fucking scream." That coveted feeling came back washing over you. A feeling you had felt at night thinking of him. It was like touching the fingers of god. Trying to push Alfies head back to keep him from getting you slick all over his mouth and beard. The man didn't budge though.

You grab ahold of his broad shoulder to steady yourself, legs still shaking for the god-blessed tongue he is fucking welding. "Oi, why are you blushing sweetie. That was beautiful that was, why I had never seen a woman so vulnerable and pretty in a state like that. At this moment it was hard to meet his eyes. You had just fucked your boss.

#alfie solomons #i cant write smut #smut #peaky blinders #thomas shelby

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